Cotter-pin.



A. E. OSTRANDER.

COTTER PIN.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. I2. 1913.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

IN V EN TOR.

67. m ATTORNEY WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. ,1

ALLEN EDWARD OSTRANDER, 0F RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, KSSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF 'IO CHARLES B. SCHOENMEHL, 0F WAT TO MARTIN L. MARTUS AND ONE-HALF ERBURY, CONNECTICUT. F

co'rr En-Pm. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 15, 1916.

Application filed November 12, 1913. Serial No. 800,604. 7

form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a view showing in elevation a piece of semi-cylindrical wire beveled at opposite ends adapted to form the cotter pin of this invention, a portion of the wire being broken awayat the middle. Fig. 2 is an elevational view showing a cotter pin formed as hereinafter described. Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the separation of the shorter limb of the cotter pin from the longer limb. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, the section being taken on line 44 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a similar section intended to illustrate a rectangular wire or metal which may beused in place of the semi-cylindrical section. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail showing a portion of one end of the wire forming the cotter pin cut away as hereinafter described.

The object of the invention is to provide a cotter pin which may be readily formed in suitable automatic machines, one limb of which is bent upon itself in alinement with the other limb, and the extreme ends of both limbs being beveled in such relation that when a blow is delivered to the shorter limb it will be driven longitudinally into impingement with the extreme end portion of the longer limb and forced outwardly therefrom, and caused to overlap the end portion of the longer limb, which is doubled back on itself, thereby providin three thicknesses of metal at the locking on of the pin.

As shown in the drawings, A is a wire or other ductile metal part which is beveled in opposite directions, as at B and C at its ends, a portion of the metal adjacent one beveled face B or C being bent back upon itself to form the refolded portion D shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which portion D when the cotter pin is formed extends in alinement with the longitudinal axis of the portion E, or shorter limb of the cotter pin, the longer limb F meeting the shorter limb E in the loop-G at one end and at the refolded por v tion D at its opposite end. The tip end portion of the long limb thus extends in aline ment with the longitudinal axis of the shorter limb. The end portion of this tip is beveled, so that when the beveled end of the shorter limb is pressed against it, the diameter of these two end portions will be about equal to the diameter of a single thickness of the wire or other metal from which the pin is made, this being due to the coincidence of the beveled ends of the metal. To insure spreading of the end of the short limb when a blow is struck on the loop or eye, the beveled ends of the metal are disposed as shown in the drawing; that is, the end of the shorter limb is cut away from the inner side toward its outer side, while the metal of the end portion of the longer limb is cut away from the outer side to the inner side. To facilitate the insertion of the cotter pin thus formed, I prefer that the metal at theend of the pin, indicated by the reference letter D, shall be slightly tapered, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, thus avoiding any undue thickening of the pin due to the bending of the portion D of the longer limb back upon itself, as shown, though it is evident that the end D may be rounded as SllOi'n by the dotted line D in Fig. 2, if desire An advantage in cutting the beveled faces B and C is that where proper tools are used the surfaces of the bevels B-C are uniform and may be brought into contact and if, for any reason, the portion H of the shorter limb, adjacent the beveled face B, should project slightly beyond the portion D of the longer limb, it will be forced backwardly in inserting the pin, thus restoring the normal diameter of the pin as a whole during its insertion.

The rectangular metal shown in section in Fig. 5 is especially adaptable for use in forming cotter pins adapted to be employed in securing king bolts, such as are used in railway trucks, in position, a rectangular hole being commonly formed in the end portions of such bolts for the reception of cotter 1118. p As the parts of the machine employed to cut the wire, preparatory to forming the cotter pin, become worn in service it is possible that a slight bur may be formed at K in alinement with the tip of the shorter limb of the pin. Such bur, if present, might serve as an obstruction to said tip and become inoutwardly away from the longer arm. Whenthe pin is driven to locking position by a blow on the loop or eye G, the bevel portion of the shorter limb will occupy the position shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be noted that there are three thicknesses of metal transversely of the pin at its inner or driven end. A mere bending of the metal at the driven end of the pin Will not permit removal of the pin, as is common with many cotter pins. On the contrary, with the present invention it is necessar that the limb e be retracted to its norma position, substantially as shown in Fig. 2, before the pin can be withdrawn.

What I claim is:

1. A cotter pin made of a piece of half round metal bentso as to provide a loop at one end and to have two limbs of unequal length that extend with their fiat surfaces adjacent, the end portion of the long limb being doubled on itself and intermediate the ends of the pin terminating in a bevel, the apex of which lies adjacent a flat portion of such long limb, and the short limb terminating in a bevel lapping the bevel of the long limb on its outer side, so that when the eye is given a blow the short limb is adapted to slide longitudinally and to lap the doublled portion of the long limb and form an end portion comprising three thicknesses of metal transversely of the pin.

2. A cotter pin made of a single piece of metal bent so as to provide a loop at one end and a doubled portion at its opposite end and to have two limbs of unequal length, the doubled. portion terminating interme diate the ends of the pin in a bevel, the apex of which lies adjacent such long limb and between the inner face of the long limb and the short limb, the short limb terminating in a bevel on the outer side of the bevel of the long limb so that when the eye is given a blow the short limb is adapted to occupy a position parallel with the doubled portion of the long limb and form an end portion comprising three thicknesses of metal transversely of the pin.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my handin the presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN EDWARD ourummn.

Witnesses:

B. VAN DER BENGLE, S. W. TUTIIE. 

